Joburg getting a new R420 million university ‘mega campus’

ADvTECH has announced the launch of its new private higher education brand, Emeris, which will involve building a state-of-the-art “mega campus” in Sandton, Johannesburg.

ADvTECH is a JSE-listed private education provider that operates in the education and recruitment industries in South Africa and the rest of Africa.

Its businesses include 24 brands and 17 education brands, encompassing over 153 education, training and recruitment sites across Africa.

It operates well-known schooling brands, including Crawford International, Trinity House and Abbotts College.

On Friday, 19 September, the company announced the launch of Emeris, the new private higher education brand that will bring its Varsity College, Vega School, and MSA brands together under a single name.

One aspect of the change is the building of a state-of-the-art R420 million mega campus in Sandton, Johannesburg. 

This development will bring the existing Varsity College Sandton and Vega Bordeaux operations together on the same site. 

It will open its doors in 2026 with an initial capacity of 9,000 students. Facilities will include a double-storey library and information centre, and a student experience hub with career and counselling services.

The development will also boast a custom-designed indoor sports centre capable of hosting international events and innovation spaces, including IT labs, podcast studios and interactive mock classrooms.

“Emeris strongly positions ADvTECH to meet the expanding and evolving student and industry needs of South Africa,” the company said. 

“It reflects ADvTECH’s commitment to delivering a strong, differentiated brand portfolio with clear growth strategies.”

“This strategic alignment amplifies ADvTECH’s commitment to delivering diverse, high-quality educational pathways, tailored to meet market demands,” CEO Geoff Whyte said. 

“By consolidating these institutions under one brand, ADvTECH offers students an enhanced educational experience, fosters collaboration, and drives innovation.”

In its latest interim results for the first half of its 2025 financial year, ADvTECH continued to go from strength to strength.

These results showed a strong performance from ADvTECH, with revenue growth of 14% to R4.68 billion and operating profit growth of 14% to R982 million.

The majority of this revenue was derived from the company’s South African operations, which grew revenue and operating profit by 11% and 12%, respectively.

However, a standout performer from these results was ADvTECH’s Rest of Africa division, which grew revenue and operating profit by 31% and 34%, respectively.

The company’s Tertiary division also performed well, with 13% revenue growth and 14% operating profit.

The company reported strong enrolment growth across its divisions, with 13% overall enrolment growth to 105,710. This translates to a compound annual growth rate of 7% since 2021.

The graphic below shows how ADvTECH’s operations will be structured following the launch of Emeris.

New Sandton mega campus